(Nov. 2) - Hundreds of senior citizens outside Chicago got an unexpected Halloween treat Saturday -- a free party sponsored by a jilted bride.
Six days before Teanne Harris was to walk down the aisle, her fiance called off the nuptials.
And when Harris and her mother went to the catering hall to cancel the reception, they were told their deposit was nonrefundable. That's when Harris noticed the Asbury Court Retirement Community across the street.
So instead of letting a Halloween-themed wedding reception go to waste, Harris, 34, decided to move the party to the retirement home.
"I don't think she knew anybody here, and we don't get offers like that. So we were thrilled and so were our residents. It came out of the blue," Mary Eichenfeld, the resident services director of the facility in Des Plaines, Ill., told the New York Daily News.
More than 300 residents of the retirement home attended the party. Video from WBBM, the local CBS-TV station, showed seniors -- some in masks, some in full costumes, including a cowboy and Raggedy Ann -- dancing and enjoying swing music played by a DJ. Flowers and jars of candy decorated the tables.
Harris put on a brave face and attended what should have been her wedding reception but declined to speak to reporters. "She came to the party and while I saw her smiling, I'm sure she was feeling pretty bad," said Eichenfeld.
Harris had her bridal bouquet placed in the retirement home's chapel.
"She's an angel," Eichenfeld told WBBM.
Ana Rojas, a resident of Asbury Court, praised Harris' generous donation.
"This world looks miserable, but there's good people in it," Rojas told WBBM.
Harris' mom, Bari, said she was happy with the heartbreaking situation's outcome.
"Yes, there's mixed emotion," she told WBBM. "It could have been a lot worse, just sitting at home, knowing that nothing was used."
Harris was believed to be headed to Hawaii on Monday and could not be reached. Her former fiance, who is identified on an online wedding registry as Matt Harker, did not return a call from the Daily News for comment.
"That was supposed to be her honeymoon, but she's going alone," Eichenfeld told the Daily News. "I say good for her. I hope she finds a nice guy who deserves her."
